Multimarker Approach in Discriminating Patients with Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Atherosclerotic Carotid Artery Stenosis

Piotr Musialek,Wieslawa Tracz,Lukasz Tekieli,Piotr Pieniazek,Anna Kablak-Ziembicka,Tadeusz Przewlocki,Ewa Stepien,Przemyslaw Kapusta,Rafal Motyl,Jakub Stepniewski,Anetta Undas,Piotr Podolec 대한신경과학회 2013 Journal of Clinical Neurology Vol.9 No.3

Background and Purpose Several circulating biomarkers have been implicated in carotid atherosclerotic plaque rupture and thrombosis; however, their clinical utility remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the role of a large biomarker panel in the discrimination of symptomatic (S) vs. asymptomatic (A/S) subjects in a contemporary population with carotid artery stenosis (CS). Methods Prospective sampling of circulating cytokines and blood lipids was performed in 300 unselected, consecutive patients with ≥50% CS, as assessed by duplex ultrasound (age 47-83 years; 110 with A/S and 190 with S) who were referred for potential CS revascularization. Results CS severity and pharmacotherapy did not differ between the A/S and S patients. The median values of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) did not differ, but high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was significantly higher (p<0.001) and triglycerides were lower (p=0.03) in the A/S-CS group than in the S-CS group. Interleukin-6(IL-6) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were higher (p=0.04 and p=0.07, respectively) in the S-CS group. Circulating visfatin, soluble CD 40 receptor ligand, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule, leptin, adiponectin, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-18, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, myeloperoxidase, matrix metalloproteinases-8, -9, and -10, and fibrinogen were similar, but tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP) was reduced in S-CS compared to A/S-CS (p=0.02). Nevertheless, incorporation of TIMP and IL-6 did not improve the HDL-cholesterol receiver operating characteristics for S-CS status prediction. S-CS status was unrelated to angiographic stenosis severity or plaque burden, as assessed by intravascular ultrasound (p=0.16 and p=0.67, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed low HDL-cholesterol to be the only independent predictor of CS symptoms, with an odds ratio of 1.81 (95% confidence interval=1.15-2.84, p=0.01) for HDL <1.00 mmol/L (first quartile) vs. >1.37 (third quartile). In S-CS, osteoprotegerin and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2 ) were elevated in those with recent vs. remote symptoms (p=0.01 and p=0.02, respectively). Conclusions In an all-comer CS population on contemporary pharmacotherapy, low HDLcholesterol (but not other previously implicated or several novel circulating biomarkers) is an independent predictor of S-CS status. In addition, an increase in circulating osteoprotegerin and Lp-PLA2 may transiently indicate S transformation of the carotid atherosclerotic plaque.

Understanding porous structure of SBA-15 upon pseudomorphic transformation into MCM-41: Non-direct investigation by carbon replication

Rafał Janus,Mariusz Wa˛drzyk,Marek Lewandowski,Piotr Natka nski,Piotr Ła˛tka,Piotr Ku strowski 한국공업화학회 2020 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.92 No.-

A series of mesoporous silicas with bimodal porosity combining the features of broad-mesoporousSBA-15 and narrow-mesoporous MCM-41 was synthesized by the pseudomorphic transformation ofSBA-15. The pore size of the MCM-41-like fraction was adjusted using different quaternary ammoniumsalts, while the degree of pseudomorphic transformation was tuned by the alkalinity of the mother-silicadissolving agent. The produced silicas were applied as hard templates for the synthesis of carbon replicasby nanocasting. The mechanism of pseudomorphic transformation of mesoporous silica was for thefirsttime investigated non-directly, employing the strategy of inverse carbon nanoreplication followed bycomprehensive study of the textural and structural parameters of replicas with regard to silica matrices. It was found that the conversion of SBA-15 into MCM-41 occurs simultaneously throughout the entireparticle’s body according to the mechanism of homogeneous pseudomorphic transformation. It wasevidenced that the strategy of inverse carbon replication could be successfully employed as an ingenioustool for non-direct investigation of suchlike silica transformations towards hierarchical porous systems. Furthermore, the unique bimodal mesoporosity of the carbons obtained from SBA-15 partiallytransformed into MCM-41 opens a possibility for their application in a variety of purposes, mainly incatalysis and adsorption.

Evaluation of multiple allergen simultaneous (sIgE) testing compared to intradermal testing in the etiological diagnosis of atopic dermatitis in horses

Piotr Wilkołek,Marcin Szczepanik,Wiesław Sitkowski,Beata Rodzik,Michał Pluta,Iwona Taszkun,Marcin Gołyński 대한수의학회 2019 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.20 No.6

Although intradermal testing (IDT) is commonly used in the etiological diagnosis of allergies, in vitro testing for specific IgE (sIgE) is an attractive alternative. Currently, new laboratory techniques in veterinary allergological practice, including multiple allergen simultaneous tests (MASTs), gradually supersede in vivo tests. Both, serological (sIgE) and IDTs in fourteen atopic Malopolski horses were performed. Correlation and agreement between test results were evaluated. ROCReceiver operating characteristic analysis showed that sIgE to Acarus siro had the best diagnostic performance (Area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.969), followed by Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (AUC = 0.844), Dermatophagoides farinae (AUC = 0.813) and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (AUC = 0.803). A significant positive correlation between IDT and MAST was found for A. siro (rS = 0.870; Pp = 0.00005), and D. farinae (rS = 0.657; Pp = 0.011). There was significant moderate agreement for 2 of 5 allergens, A. siro (κ = 0.569) and D. farinae (κ = 0.485) in semiquantitative assessment and significant fair to substantial agreement for 3 of 5 allergens, D. pteronyssinus (κ = 0.689), A. siro (κ = 0.569), D. farinae (κ = 0.432) in dichotomic assessment. Sensitivity ranged from 44% to 89%, depending on the allergen, while specificity was significantly higher for all allergens in MAST (60%–100%); the mean accuracy was 73% (manufacturer cut-off) and 77.4% (optimal cut-off) based on the Youden index. Compared with IDT, serological MAST showed good detection performance for 60 % allergen sIgE in dichotomic assessment with substantial diagnostic capability, but careful clinical interpretation is needed for some allergens.

Rejoinder: Time-Threshold Maps: Using information from wavelet reconstructions with all threshold values simultaneously

Piotr Fryzlewicz 한국통계학회 2012 Journal of the Korean Statistical Society Vol.41 No.2

Modelling of Magneto-Elastic Phenomena in Inductive Dynamic Drive

Piotr Jankowski 대한전기학회 2017 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.12 No.3

Inductive dynamic drives (IDD) are ultra rapid actuators where the moving part (disc) is subjected to impulse force. This paper presents the second model of inductive dynamic drive – a mechanical model where analytic- numerical approach was applied. The magnetic pressure, which was determined on the basis of the results obtained in the electrodynamic model, becomes the input data for mechanical model. Research with application of the mechanical model is necessary in order to determine the proper disc oscillation frequency and to obtain the stress state control for drive elements to be designed. Also, the selection of drive parameters to keep the disc deformation insignificant (while oscillating) is a condition under which these models do not need to be coupled together.

New 40kV / 300kVA Quasi-2-Level Operated 5-Level Flying Capacitor SiC “Super-Switch” IPM

Piotr Czyz,Panteleimon Papamanolis,Thomas Guillod,Florian Krismer,Johann W. Kolar 전력전자학회 2019 ICPE(ISPE)논문집 Vol.2019 No.5

Emerging applications, e.g., traction systems and utility scale renewable energy systems, demand for Medium Voltage (MV) power electronic switches with blocking capabilities above 20kV, which cannot be provided with today’s 10kV or 15kV SiC power semiconductors. Therefore, this work investigates different concepts for the realization of a MV halfbridge, i.e., a series connection of 10kV SiC MOSFETs, a JFET Super Cascode arrangement, and Modular Multilevel Converter (MMCs) and Flying Capacitor Converter (FCCs) topologies. The FCC topology features several advantages such as reduced switching losses, reduced chip area, lower dv/dt of the switching transitions, and robust voltage balancing. Moreover, the volume of the flying capacitors can be reduced with Quasi-2-Level (Q2L) operation of the half-bridge, where the intermediate voltage levels are only used during very short time intervals, i.e., during the switching transitions. This paper analyzes the design, the switching behavior, and the voltage balancing of the Q2L-FCC bridge-leg and confirms its suitability as a versatile MV switch. Finally, the integration of a complete bridge-leg, including gate drivers, isolated cooling interfaces, measurements, and Q2L control into a 300kVA / 40kV SiC Super-Switch Intelligent Power Module (SiC-SS-IPM) is presented.

Effect of Fiber Hybridization on Durability Related Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete

Piotr Smarzewski,Danuta Barnat-Hunek 한국콘크리트학회 2017 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.11 No.2

The purpose of the paper is to determine the influence of two widely used steel fibers and polypropylene fibers on the sulphate crystallization resistance, freeze–thaw resistance and surface wettability of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). Tests were carried out on cubes and cylinders of plain UHPC and fiber reinforced UHPC with varying contents ranging from 0.25 to 1% steel fibers and/or polypropylene fibers. Extensive data from the salt resistance test, frost resistance test, dynamic modulus of elasticity test before and after freezing-thawing, as well as the contact angle test were recorded and analyzed. Fiber hybridization relatively increased the resistance to salt crystallization and freeze–thaw resistance of UHPC in comparison with a single type of fiber in UHPC at the same fiber volume fraction. The experimental results indicate that hybrid fibers can significantly improve the adhesion properties and reduce the wettability of the UHPC surface.

In search of non-quantitative semiautomatic methods of collocations retrieval

Piotr Wierzchoń,(피오트르 비에쉬호인) 아시아·중동부유럽학회 2005 동유럽발칸학 Vol.7 No.1

본 논문은 번역에 있어서 어려움을 야기 시키는 collocation(복합 구문)의 반(半)자동적인 도출(導出) 방법에 대해 연구한 것이다. 폴란드어의 어형 변화와 biała niedziela, białej niedzieli, białe niedziele 같은 굴절형의 기본 동형(同形)형태 부재로 T-score, Gravity Counts, Dice, Mutual Information등의 음량(音量) 방법은 사전에서 표제어가 되는 낱말의 이형, 변화형을 하나로 묶기 위해 분류를 하는 형태소 분석기에 의존하게 되면서 이용 가치가 없어졌다. 현대 어휘의 분석에 있어서, 선 형태소 분석이 세부적이지 못하듯이 실제로도 이것은 큰 영향을 주지 않는다. 이와 같이 심한 어형 변화를 하는 언어에 있어서 연결 어휘의 자동적인 도출을 위해 주어진 어휘 결합의 빈도수를 조사하는 bigram과 같은 최적 음량 방법의 제안은 불가능한 것처럼 보일 수 있다. 이 제안은 주로 텍스트에 적용되는 기본 필터를 사용해서 분석할 수 있는 방법을 사용했으며, 문장에서 주로 어휘적인 가치가 있다. 이것은 두 개, 세 개, 네 개의 복합 구문이 tzw.와 같이 약자로 표시되고, 약자의 오른쪽은 마침표, 쉼표, 세미콜론에 의해 한정되는 방법에 대한 연구이다. 텍스트의 크기는 본 연구에서 중요하지 않다. The article presents the semiautomatic method for excerption of collocations which cause most difficulties in translation practices. Due to the flectional features of the Polish language and the lack of homography of particular flection forms (biała niedziela, białej niedzieli, białe niedziele etc.), the quantitative methods such as T-score, Gravity Counts, Dice, Mutual Information etc. (cf. Daudaravičius, Marcinkevičiené 2004) lose their value since their use depends on the use of a competent morphological analyzer lemmatizing all flection forms to dictionary entry forms (lemmas). In the case of an analysis of contemporary vocabulary, noting phenomena of real life, such a morphological pre-analysis will be significantly slowed down. Thus, it seems impossible to propose an optimal quantitative method, e.g. bigram (i.e. in which an observation of frequency of given lexical connections is used; cf. Stubbs 2002, Yamamoto, Church 2001) for an automatic excerption of lexical connections in highly flectional languages. The proposition presented in this text has a mainly lexicographical value and involves the use of a simplified filter applied on a corpus. This is an observation of two-, three- and four-word collocations preceded by the abbreviation tzw. (so-called) and limited on the right side by a punctuation mark (e.g. full stop, comma, semicolon etc.). The size of the corpus does not matter in our research.

Heterogenic Concept of Cellulosic Pulp Refining Process

Piotr Przybysz,Kazimierz Przybysz 한국펄프·종이공학회 2016 한국펄프·종이공학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.2016 No.10

TRANSITIVITY, TWO-SIDED LIMIT SHADOWING PROPERTY AND DENSE ω-CHAOS

Piotr Oprocha 대한수학회 2014 대한수학회지 Vol.51 No.4

We consider ω-chaos as defined by S. H. Li in 1993. We show that c-dense ω-scrambled sets are present in every transitive system with two-sided limit shadowing property (TSLmSP) and that every transitive map on topological graph has a dense Mycielski ω-scrambled set. As a preliminary step, we provide a characterization of dynamical properties of maps with TSLmSP.